Refrigerator



Nov. 3, 1931. M. c. TERRY 1,830,626

REFRIGERATOR Filed 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Shea! 1 M.C.Tevr9 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nav. 3,1931.

WITNESS M. C. TERRY REFRIGERATOR Filed Nov. 19, 1925.

2 Sheetshem 2 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1931' UNITED isrA'ras iiu'rsoN o. TERRY, or rmnannmm' PENNSYLVANIA, assreNon. 'ro was'rrNeno-usn' ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMIPANY, a CORPORATI REFRIGERATOR ON OF PENNSYLVANIA Applicatiomfiled November 19, 1925. Serial N9.70,117.

My invention relates to refrigerating man chines and particularly to small capacity machines ofv the compression type which are suitable for household use and it has for an object to provide apparatus of the character designated which shall operate reliably and efiectivel for extended periods of time. It has for, a further object to provide a refrigerating machine which shall embody a I novel structure for condensing-the refrigerantvapor and for dissipating the heat generated by the compression mechanism. These and other objects, which will be made apparent throughout the further description of my invention, may be attained by the employment of the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View of one form of refrigcrating machine which is arranged in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a View, in section, taken'on the line 1111of Fig. 1 andFig. 3 is an enlarged view, in sectional mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

It is generally recognized in the domestic elevation. of the compression and condensing I refrigerator art that the installation of the compression mechanism, that is, the compres-' sor and its driving motor, in a common fluidtight chamber possesses numerous advantages inasmuch as a very compact arrangement is provided, the use of a stuffing box is avoided, quiet operation is insured and leakage of the refrigerant fluid is prevented. It is also recognized that genera ly air cooling is to be preferred to water cooling because it affords an easier method of installation.

However, the problem of adequately cooling a totally enclosed compression mechanism in addition to condensing the required amount of refrigerant vapor has proven avery diflicult one where it is desired to utilize air and not water as the cooling medium.

I have, however, conceived the idea of utilizing the exposed surfaces of the chamber enclosing the compression mechanism and of combining this chamber with a coil of the necessary length for condensing the refrigerant vapor. In addition, I have conceived the idea of so arrangingthe coil and the vicinity of the enclosed motor.

numerous other features which will be described hereafter, cooperate to provide a re chamber in relation to each other that a single source of air supply, such as a small motor driven fan or blower, may be utilized to produce the required cooling effect. Furthermore, I prefer to so arrange the blower with respect to the coil and the chamber that the cooling air is circulated circumferentially about both the coil and the chamber as I have found that in thi s-waya maximum quantity of heat is absorbed in proportion to .the amount of air circulated.

' It has heretofore been proposed to absorb the heat of a totally enclosed compression mechanism by circulating or passing refrigerant vapor through. the enclosing chamber. However, I have devised a machine which in part utilizes the condensed refrigerant fluid for absorbing the heat generated by the compression mechanism and inasmuch as liquids are generally better conductors of heat than gases I attain far more effective cooling.

As refrigerating machines of "the house hold type generally operate intermittently in response tothe temperature prevailing in the refrigerator box, I have improved their reliability of operation byproviding a suitable reservoir for collecting the lubricant drainage during the 'inactive'period of the machine. This'reservoir is arranged so as to prevent anyaccumulation of lubricant in the These and frigerating machine well adapted for domeselement or evaporator 10- an expansion chamber 11 and a freezing chamber 12 coptaining some noncon ealable liquid such as alcohol and water. isposed within the freezing chamber 12 is a container13 for supporting a plurality of molds 14 for forming ice. Superimposed upon the expansion chamber 11' is a surge tank 15 which communicates with the expansion chamber and which contains a level of liquid working fluid as indicated at 16. For removing the refrigerant vapor from the expansion chamber 11, an outlet conduit 17 is provided which communicates at its inlet end 18 with the vapor containing portion of the surge tank 15 and which extends below the liquid level 16. Provided in the outlet 'conduit 17, at a point below the liquid level 16, is an aperture or small opening 19 for entrain-' .ing Fluid'for Refrigeration. The idea of constantly entraining a-quantity of such a liquid in the vapor removed from the evaporator is also disclosed in the patent of A. A. Kucher, No. 1,656,917 issued Jan. 24, 1928 and entitled Refrigeration. An inlet 21 for admitting liquid working fluid to the expansion chamber 11 is provided in the evapora tor.

The inlet 21 of the-evaporator connects",

throu h a conduit'22, a float valve 23 and a the air discharged by'the the condensi'n coil 26 and circumferentially air over the condensin conduit 24 with a condensing chamber 25. Surrounding the condensing chamber 25 is a condensing coil 26 which is shrouded by an air casing 27 having its inlet arranged at 28 and its outlet at 29. A fan or blower 31 is provided in the inlet 28 for discharging coil 26 and the condensing chamber 25. he latter chamber is provided with a. plurality. of heat radiating fins 32 which are arranged radially upon the outer surface of the chamber inside of the air casing 27. As shown in Fig. 2, the inlet 28 of the air casing is arranged tangentially with respect to the condensing chamber so. that an 31 passes along about the con ensing chamber 25.-

As shown in Fig. 3, the condensing chamber 25 contains a. compressor 33 which is preferably of the two-stage rotary type. The compressor 33 is driven through a shaft 34 by a motor 35. The motor 35 is arranged within a fluid tight housing 36 provided with a removable plate 37 for permitting inspection ofthe motor. The condensate formed in the condensing coil 26 is conveyed by a conduit38 to an inlet. 39 provided in the lower portion of the condensing chamber and this condensate together with the condensed refrigerant formed on the walls of the chamber 25 is discharged from the chamber through an outlet 41 which communicates with the conduit 24.. The inletand outlet 39 and 41 are so located that a level of condensate, such as indicated at 42, is always maintained in the condensing chamber -25.

As shown in Fig. 1, working fluid is re -moved from the expansion chamber 11 of the evaporator by the compressor 33 through a conduit 43, a check valve 44, a lubricant reservoir 45 and a conduit 46-which communicates with a passage 47 provided in the motor housing 36. The check valve 44is so arranged as to prevent an flow of fluid from the reservoir 45 towar the evaporator 10. As shown in Fig. 3, refrigerant fluid is discharged from i the compressor 33 through a conduit 48 provided with bafile'or separator 49 arranged directly over the compressor 33. Any liquid entrained in the vapor discharged by the compressor is deflected downwardly by the baflle 49 and is collected in a lubricant receptacle 51 which surrounds the compressor 33 and is mounted upon the motor housing 36. Any

utilized'for lubricating purposes, I have pro-,

vided a conduit 57 and a passage or which communicate with the respective bearings of the compressor 33 for conveying lubricant thereto. The lubricant thus conveyed perco lates downwardly through the compression mechanism to an intermediate shaft bearing 58 and is collected in a lubricant catcher 59 arranged above the motor 35. It is thence conveyed through a hollow portion 61 of the shaft 34 and collects in the lower portion of the motor housing 36 for lubricating a lower bearin 62. Lubricant is conveyed from the lower hearing 62 by means of a conduit 63 to the up er portion of the lubricant reservoir 45, sii connected to the inlet of the compressor 33. A check valve 64 is rovided in the conduit own in Fig. 1, which reservoir is 63 for preventing lu ricant from returning from the reservoir to the motor housing.

The operation of the above embodiment of my invention is as follows Assuming the refrigerating machine to be in operation, liquid working fluid is contained in the evaporator, the surge tank 15, the condensing coil 26. and the condensing chamber 25-' The levels of the liquid in the surge tank l5, the condensing chamber 25 and the receptacle 51 are indicated at 16, 42 and 56 respectively. Air dischargedby the fan 31 passes circumferentially around the condensing chamber 25 absorbing heat thereneeaeee ly'through the outlet 29.

The action of the compressor 33 maintains a .pressure sufliciently low in the expansion chamber "\11 to induce vaporization of the liquid working iluid contained therein. In the vaporization process, heat is absorbed from the atmosphere surrounding the evaporator 10 and from the noncongealable liquid contained in the freezing chamber'12. As most domestic refrigerating machines oper- 15 ate only intermittently in response to the temperature prevailing within the refrigerator box, the construction of the evaporator 10, asillustrated, possesses numerous advan-. 'tages. As shown, heat is absorbed from the surrounding atmosphere directly through the outer walls of the expansion chamber, thus insuring excellent heat conduction. On the other hand, the ice molds 14 are disposed .within the freezing chamber 12 which contains a substantial body'of noncongealable liquid having a cold storage capacity suthcient to prevent melting of the ice-during successiveidle periods of the machine. in other words, the refrigerator box is cooled to by the direct expansion method while ice tity of ice.

, is formed by the indirect method, thus providing ideal conditions for maintaining the box temperature at a minimumand for manu facturing and maintaining a maximum quan- Because of the aperture 19, which is provided in the outlet conduit 17 within the evaporgtor, a small quantity of liquid work ing fluid is entrained in the vapor removed as from the expansion chamber 11 by the comxpressor 33. Upon the refrigerant vapor be- -"ing discharged by the compressor at an increased pressure, this liquid impinges against the bafiied) and falls downwardly into the lubricant receptacle 51. The vapor passes outwardly through the outlet 52 and enters the condensing chamber 25. A portion of this vapor is condensed on the walls of the condensing chamber 25 while the remaining portion is conveyed by the conduit 54 to the condensing coil 26. This vapor is condensed in its downward passage through the coil 26 and is finally returned, in a liquid state, into the condensing chamber at 39.

55 This condensed refrigerant commingles with the condensate formed in the chamber 25 and is conveyed therefrom by the pressure preveiling within the condensing chamber to the conduit 24. and to the float valve 23. The

. to. outlet 41 is so arranged within the condens- 55 about the motor housing prior to its passage times.

to the float valve. In this manner, a thorough cooling of the motor is efi'ected at all Upon accumulation of some refrigerant in the float valve 23, the latter opens to permit the expansion chamber 11 to withdraw this liquid refrigerant into the evaporator after which it is vaporized and again returned to the compression mechanism for a repetition of the cycle. v

The liquid which is removed from the vapor by the baflle 49, shown in Fig. 3, and which collects in a lubricant receptacle 51, is composed, as refrigerant and a lubricant which form a true physical solution. The receptacle51 is so arranged that this liquid immerses the compressor 33 and absorbs the heat which it generates. The absorption of the heat vaporizes 0d the refrigerant, which is the more volatile of the two components of the solution, leaving a body of liquid which is substantially a lubricant. The refrigerant statedheretofore, of a vapor incidentally formed is removed from the receptacle 51 through the outlet 52. This method of absorbing the heat of the com- .pression'mechanism as well as of producing a liquid suitable for lubricating purposes is disclosed in the patent of A. A. Kucher, No. 1,719,807, issued July 2, 1929, and entitled Refrigerator. Any excess lubricating fluid which is thus formed passes through the overflow connection 55 and commingles with the condensed refrigerant contained in the lower portion ofithe chamber 25 from whence it is conveydd to the evaporator. Segregation or accumulation of this lubricant in the evaporator is prevented, however,- by

the constant entrainment of liquid in the outlet conduit 17, heretofore described.

Inasmuch as the interior of the motor chamber 36 is connected by a conduit 63 and the lubricant reservoir 45 with the suction conduit 46, there is a pressure difi'erence prevailing between the condensing chamber 25 and the-interiorof the motor housing which corresponds substantially to the suction and discharge pressures of the compressor 33. This difference in pressure compels the lubricating liquid contained in the receptacle 51 to pass through the conduit 57 and passage 57 and enter the upper and lowerbearings of the compressor 33.; This lubricant then seeps or percolates downwardly through the working parts of the compressor to the intermediate bearing 58 and collects in the lubricantcatcher 59, from whence it drains through the hollow interior 61 of the shaft 34. and lubricates the lower bearing 62. From "refrigerant vapor entering the compre sor has thus er'itraine'dtherein a quantity of liquid which is supplied both b the opening 19 Within the sur e tank and liy the lubricating fluid removed rom the motor housing. Sufficient liquid is in this way supplied to the in let of the compression mechanism as will very effectively seal the same and insure efiicient operation ofthe compressor.

Upon periodic stoppage of the machine,

- there is an immediate tendency for the pressures in the condensing chamber and in the evaporator to equalize. Such equalization of pressure is not desirable, howev r, lnasmuch as it induces a rapid rise in the temperature of the evaporator and thereby reduces the capacity of the machine. Such an equalization of pressure is prevented by the check valve 44 which is so located that it. prevents the fluid pressure leaking backwardly through the suction conduit 46 from entering the evaporator. Thisrapid back fiow of pressure may, if the lubricant reservoir 45 and check valve 63 are omitted, spray all of the liquid contained in the conduit 46 as Well as the connecting conduit 63 backwardly into the interior of the motor housing 36, thus dampening the entire motor with lubricating liquid, 9. condition to be avoided, especially where motors of'the commutator type are employed.

owever, by providing the reservoir 45, a rapid back flow of pressure through the conduit 46 is absorbed within its relatively large interior and consequently there is no perceptible rush of pressure from the reservoir 45 into the conduit 63. As an added precaution against the spraying of anylubricant upon the motor I have provided the check valve 64 although I may dispense with the same. In addition, the receptacle performs another function during the idle period of the machine inasmuch as during this period the lubricant contained in thereceptacle 51 seeps downwardly through the compressor and into the lower portion of the motor housing from whence it is'dra'ined by the conduit 63 and accumulates-in the reservoir 45 and not in the motor housing. In this-manner, the accumulation of asubstantial body of lubricant in the motor housing during the inactive period of the machine is entirely avoided. Upon the machine resuming operation, however, this lubricant is rapidlywithdrawn from the res What I claim is v 1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination ofan evaporator, a compressor, a motor for driving the compressor, a fluid-tight casing enclosing the motor and the compressor and forming a condensing chamber, a second condenser encircling the chamber, and

means fonpassing air circumferentially about both the condensing chamber and the condenser.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, the com; bination of an evaporator, a compressor, a motor for drivin the compressor, a fluidtight casing enclosing the motor and the compressoranddefining a condensing chamber,

a condensing coil surounding the condensing chamber, and means for discharging air circumferentially about-the condensing chamber and over the condensing coil.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an eva rator, a compressor a motor for driving t e compressor, a fluid-tight casing enveloping the motor and the compresson and defining a condensing chamber, av condensing coil surrounding the condensing chamber, means for passing air circumferenti ally about the condensing chamber and over the condensing coil, and means for libcrating the air from the upper portion of the condensing coil and the chamber.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a condenser, a compressor, a motor for driving the compressor, an evaporator disposed at a higher elevation than the motor, a receptacle for supplying lubricant during the operation of the machine and a reservoir disposed at a lower elevation than the motor for collecting the lubricant during the idle periods of the machine.

, 5. In a refrigerating apparatusythe combination of a condenser, an evaporator disposed at a higher elevation than the condenser, a

compressor, a motor for driving the coinpressor, a common housing for both the m6- tor and the compressor, a receptacle for sup plying lubricant to the working parts f. the compression mechanism, and a reservo r disposed at a lower elevation than the motor for collecting the lubricant.

.6. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a condenser, a compressor, a motor for driving the compressor, a housing for the motor, an evaporator disposed at a higherelevation than the motor, communicating means provided between the evaporator and the inlet of the compressor, an oil reservoirprovided in said communicatin means, and a drainage connection provided tween the motor housing andthe reservoin.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a condenser, a compressor, a motor for driving the compressor, a housing for the motor, an evaporator, communicatin means provided between the evaporator an the inlet of the compressor, an oil reservoir provided in said communicating means, a draina e connection provided between the motor Imusing and the lubricant reservoir, and means provided in the communicating means and located between the lubricant reservoir and the evaporator for preventing the return flow of'fluid from the lubricant reservoir to the evaporator.

8. In a refrigeratlng apparatus, the combination of a condenser, a compressor, a motor for driving the compressor, a housing for the motor, an evaporator, communicatin means provided between the evaporator an the in let of the compressor, an oil reservoir provided in said communicating means between the housing and the evaporator, and means providedin said communicating means and disposed between the oil reservoir and the compressor for preventing the return flow of fluid from the compressor to'the' oil reservoir. v

- 9. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a condenser, a compression mechanism disposed within the condenser, an evaporator disposed at a higlfer elevation than the condenser, communicating means provided between the evaporator and the inlet of the compression mechanism, an oil reservoir disposed at a lower elevation than the compression mechanism and in said com- .municating means, 'a drainage connection provided between the compression mechanism and the oil reservoir, a check valve provided in the communicating means for preventing the back flow of fluid from the oil reservoir to the evaporator, and a second check valve providedin the drainage connection for preventing the back. flow of fluid from the oil reservoir ,to the compression mechanism, p i

10. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a condenser, an evaporator, a motor, a compressor driven by. the motor, a housing for the motor subject to the suction pressure-of the compressor, a lubricant rereturning refrigerant fluid from the evapoceptacle subject to the discharge pressure of the compressor, means subject to the difference in pressure between-the lubricant re-' ceptacle'and the motor housing for conveying lubricant to the working parts of the compressor and the motor, a reservoir for returning lubricant from the motor housing .scribed my name veying condensed refrigerant fluid from the condenser to the casing and thence to the evaporator, whereby the, condensed refrigerant fluid passing through the casing absorbs a portion of the heat generated by the compression. mechanism.

12. In a refrigerating apparatus,-.the coma bination of an evaporator, a compression mechanism, a fluid-tight casing. forming a condensing chamber enclosing the compression mechanism, said compression mechanism being so disposed within the condensing chamber as to be partially surrounded by condensed refrigerant", a condensing coil disposed about the condensing chamber, and communicating means provided between the condensing coil and the condensing chamber.

so i

13. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an evaporator, a fluid-tight casing forming a condensing'chamber, a condensing coil surrounding, the condensing chamber and communicating therewith, and

a compression mechanism so disposed'within the condensing chamber as to be partially cooled bythe condensed refri erant formed in the condensing chamber an in the coil.

14. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an evaporator, a motor, a compressor drivenby the motor and su erimposed thereon, a receptacle for retaining lubricant, said receptacle being so arranged with respect to thecompressor that the lubricant contained therein is utilized to absorb the heat generated by the compressor, an overflow connection provided in the receptacle, a fluid tight casing enclosing the motor, the compressor and the receptacle, a

condenser disposed about the casing, means for conveying condensed refrigerant from the condenser to the casing for absorbmg the heat of the motor, means for conveying the condensed refrigerant together with the M- bricant overflowing from the receptacle from the casing to the evaporator, and means for rator to the inlet of the compressor.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subthis sixteenth dayoof November,- 1925. V

MATSON G. TERRY.

to the inlet of the compressor, communicatanism, a condenser disposed about the casing, an evaporator connected to the inlet of the compression mechanism, and means for con- 

